PORT-OF-SPAIN – Cedros fishermen want newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Surujrattan Rambachan to deal with the issue of pirate attacks in local waters.
And the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, the fishermen also said, should be equipped with boats to respond to trouble calls immediately.
Fisherman Robin Padarath said he was held hostage at sea for almost five hours while pirates waited for his family to drop off a ransom demand last Sunday. His pirogue, Zatto, was one of four boats attacked that day. Two of the vessels were released.
Padarath said the men, who identified themselves as Guardia Nacional officers, pointed a gun and demanded money.
“They wanted US dollars. The men gave me a cellphone and told me to call my home and arrange the money. They asked for US$3 500, but we beat them down to US$1 000,” he said.
Padarath, 47, said his relatives contacted the Coast Guard.“We waited for almost five hours while my wife beg the neighbours for the money, and the Coast Guard did not come. They had all opportunity to catch these people, but they did not come,” he said.
Public relations officer of the Coast Guard Lieutenant Kirk Jean-Baptiste dismissed the fishermen’s claims.
“We received a report of the incident, but the person who called did not want to give a name or a fixed location. We contacted the Venezuelan authorities, but we could not establish where the men were. The family went ahead and paid the money without waiting for us to respond. This is only encouraging the bandits,” he said. (Trinidad Express)
